Randolph County, Missouri - Chapter 6: Early Conditions, 1920

BOONSLICK COUNTY WITHIN RESERVATION OP SAC AND FOX INDIANS - INDIAN CLAIMS EXTINGUISHED - COMING OF SETTLERS - FIRST SETTLEMENTS - IMMIGRATION - PIONEER FARMING - THE "RAZORBACK" - INDIAN MENACE - BLACK HAWK WAR - SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS.

Prior to 1808, the Boonslick country, north of the Missouri River was within the reservation of the Sac and Fox Indians. By the terms of the treaty of Paris, the French government ceded Louisiana Territory to the United States subject to the claims of the Indians to the land. These claims, our government recognized, consequently the United States could convey no clear title to any part of these lands until the claims of the Indians had been extinguished by purchase. It appears that prior to this time the claim of the Indians had been so extinguished in the lands north of the river and east of a line drawn from a point opposite the mouth of the Gasconade River, northerly to said river and thence down said stream to the Mississippi.

The question of the ownership of the lands in the Boonlick country, was finally set at rest in the fall of 1818 when government land officers at St. Louis and Franklin opened their doors and began to sell these lanas, after the Indian claims had been so extinguished. With the end of the War of 1812, the tide of immigration which had been stayed by this war, again flowed westward in an ever increasing volume.

These new settlers came as best they could. The greater number in covered wagons, a few horseback, and possibly some single men afoot. The better to do families came in two or more wagons, and sometimes several families in company. Those coming in wagons, frequently brought with them live stock, and more generally necessary tools and equipment such as axes, saws, hoes and other edged tools and probably spinning wheels and looms for weaving cloth or equipment for a loom. Every man or boy able to shoulder a gun brought with him a rifle or gun of some description.

The earlier settlers who had gone before had blazed the way and marked the trail. Those who followed gradually converted these trails, into roads. There were no bridges, nor legally established highways m the Boonslick country and probably none west of St. Charles, and consequently these roads, in bad weather or when the streams were swollen, were not always passable. But the early settler was indomitable, and in the end reached his destination, even if he had to hew his way through with his axe. Thus the fii'st highways of Missouri were established by river.

As we have seen, the first settlements were made along the Mississippi from St. Louis down the river to New Madrid, and above, at St. Charles on the Missouri, prior to the Louisiana purchase. Thereafter and prior to the War of 1812, settlements had been established up the Mississippi in the counties of Lincoln and Pike further north.

Likewise immigration had crept westward from St. Charles along both banks of the Missouri, and settlements had been effected on both sides of said stream as far west as Coopers Bottom in the Boonslick country. I i

This renewed tide of immigration which set in during the year 1815, and thereafter continued to grow steadily, came first to these earlier settlements there to acquire knowledge of the country and look around for themselves, and from thence this tide moved up the Missouri to the mouth of the Kaw River, where Kansas City now stands; and up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Des Moines River.

In consequence of these early settlements along these streams, the country bordering on the river was the first organized into counties in north Missouri. Prior to the admission of Missouri as a state, seventeen counties had been organized in North Missouri, all of them being river counties.

St. Charles County situated at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and bordering on both, was as we have seen organized as a county in 1812. Northward, along the west bank of the Mississippi, the counties of Lincoln, Pike and Clark were organized in 1818 and Ralls

County in 1820; westward of St. Charles County and north of the Missouri; Howard County was organized in 1816; Montgomery in 1818 and Callaway, Boone, Chariton, and Ray in 1820. South of the Missouri, Cooper and Franklin counties were organized in 1818 and Gasconade, Cole, Saline and Lafayette in 1820.

These early settlements in the river counties, by reason of this influx of home seekers, grew by accretion and stretched out farther and farther into the country away from the rivers. Other initial settlements further west and north were established and likewise grew away from the rivers. The timbered counties were the first settled. Chariton County to the east, and Ray and Clay counties west, were peopled, before Carroll County which is largely a prairie county..

^ In these days the question is often asked why it was that these early settlers neglected the rich prairie lands, and reared their cabins in the forest, upon inferior lands in many instances, where they must fell the timber and burn the brush before they could plant, when the prairie stood ready for the plow. This question can be answered only by putting our feet in the shoes of these pioneers.

It must be borne in mind that the greater number who came to north Missouri prior to 1821 were from central Kentucky, Tennessee and states further east, and over roads much of the way that would today be regarded unfit to travel. They came in wagons and they could bring with them only such of their belongings as were indispensable. Agricultural implements were out of the question. They could not be brought, hence the settler must equip himself with such implement he could get or construct at his journey's end.

Good water and an abundance of fuel to warm up their open cabins in winter were essentials, and fence rails to inclose field and garden with a substantial fence, sufficiently high and strong enough to keep out Ihe deer and elk and his neighbors stock were indispensable.

The timbered lands extending back from the river abounded in springs of cool pure water, and a cabin in the woods near a spring brought both of these essentials to its door.

found adjacent to the prairie, if not too remote from a settlement, was a lucky find and the land thereabout was quickly taken up by some homeseeker. Such locations were desirable, as the settlers stock whether much or little had ample room to graze on the prairie and the timber as a rule was nearby.

But the breaking of the tough prairie sod and subjecting this land to cultivation was a task to be accomplished at a later date than we now have in view-

The wooden plow or the plow with an iron shear and wooden moldboard, the only kind to be had at these times, were wholly inadequate to break and turn the tough prairie sod. As late as the middle of the last century, the prairie plow with its heavy iron shear, moldboard, coulter and massive beam and rods to strengthen and small wooden wheels of unequal sizes, set under and at right angle with the beam, one wheel to track in the furrow last made, and the other on the sod to steady the plow and prevent it from tipping, was a clumsy and cumbersome implement. Such plow when in operation was usually drawn slowly along by three yoke of oxen, but it served to do the work as it had been doing before for a quarter of a century, or more.

After the sod was thus turned it had to lie and rot for a season before it could be again plowed. The man with a hoe could plant corn on this newly turned sod and grow sod corn if the spring and summer rainfall was ample. If a dry year the corn "burned" and yielded no grain.

The prairie was therefore impossible to these early settlers. In the timber the settler could with axe, mall and iron wedge and wooden glut fall the timber, split his rails, and erect his fences and complete his inclosure. The laps of the trees thus felled would furnish him his next winter's wood. Then with axe he could belt, or deaden the remaining timber, scratch the virgin soil, by ploughing around the stumps, with his wooden or combination plow, and by the industrious use of hoe, and plow grow corn for his stock.

His hogs, if any, great and small could provide for themselves in the woods when spring came and unless they strayed away and went wild, the settler was assured of hog and hominy when fall came.

The hog of that period, known as "raisorback" was a rustler and could take care of himself in the forest without human aid, and is given further notice in these pages. Another reason why these new comers settled in the timbered country was the fear of the Indians. The first of these settlers came within a year after the end of the Indian War in the Boonslick country, and the last of them within less than six years thereafter, while Missouri was yet a territory.

safety of his family and live stock, preferred to settle within or near the outskirts of an established settlement, where aid could be had in case of danger. Indeed, it was not until the Sac and Fox Indians had been finally defeated, the Black Hawk War ended, in 1833, and these Indians were removed entirely out of this state, and that part of Illinois to the east, that all fear of danger from that source was finally removed from the minds of our people. During the first years that we are now dealing with the Indians outnumbered the whites in the Boonslick Country, and westward. They had no love for any white person that spoke English, and the settler disliked and distrusted the Indian as much or more. There was no further warfare in the Boonslick Country, no more scalping, but an armed truce instead, in time of peace that might not last.

No surveys of the public lands of the Territory of Missouri was begun until December, 1816. The only lands legally surveyed prior to that time were the French and Spanish claims. This survey began the last of the year 1816, progressed slowly and it was not until August 3, 1818, that the first land sale by the United States government was held in St. Louis and on November 2, 1818, the first in the Boonslick Country at Franklin, Howard County. These first sales were made at public vendue to the highest bidder. The settlers had an understanding that they would not bid, the one against the other. A large number of people attended the land upon which he had "squatted," and to a decree mproved, we competition and spirited bidding for choice tracts among these visitors. Whether or not any settler was by this sale deprived of his cabin, and the land upon which he had "squatted,', and to a decree improved, we are not advised.

The settlers in the Franklin land district at this time had given notice to the officers of the land office, claiming the land upon which eacl'-. resided by right of preemption or that they had given notice to the land oflSce that they claimed and intended to purchase some certain tract.